Summer School Options

If you were unable to attend last Thursday’s meeting on Summer School Options, here are the notes from our super secretary, Karen Sosnoski.

7:15: Arlington Public Schools Summer Options—Angelique Close, Supervisor of

SPED Programming.

• February list of summer school programs/schedule will be out on website and at IEP

meetings.

• ESY (Extended School Year Services) will be discussed in IEPs.

• Locations have yet to be decided.

Questions/feedback:

• When does summer school start? Summer school starts after 4th of July and it lasts

for five weeks.

• Can we have social skills summer schools programs? Students getting ready for

middle school need social skills as a critical life skill. Angelique will look into it.

• Will integration be offered in preschool? Angelique will look into it.

• There is confusion about whether or not kids can sign up for summer school if they

are academically at grade level.

• How does eligibility for summer school work? Angelique says it’s a service instead of

a program and ESY services can be provided through summer school.

• Can we have a speech intensive track for summer school, such as apraxia classes,

or social skills mixed with speech, or a speech intensive articulation class?

• Will we know about Summer school before the 2/17 sign up for summer camps?

Angelique said it should be discussed in an IEP meeting.

• Wendy Carria, Director of Special Education says there are routine summer school

classes that will be listed in the catalog, but ESY (Extended School Year) is a

pretty high bar to meet—it means a student critically needs services over the

summer, so those services have to be delivered over the summer, regardless

of what is in the catalog. ESY service are individual.

• What is the specific goal and what services would need to be provided to meet

the goal? It’s up to the IEP team to recommend ESY services or not. Dr. Colleen

Koval, Compliance Director oversees all that.

• Critical life skills must be at stake if ESY services are to be recommended. What

are critical life skills? Communication, self care, it could be academic, but it has

to be something on which many other things depend. ESY could happen any

time during the school year.

• Nick Walkosak: you (the parent) sign up for a summer class, but the IEP team

decides if a critical skill, something that would cause significant regression

without summer school, needs to be worked on over the summer.

• Wendy suggested that parents look now and see how much your student

regressed after winter break. It also might be a question of losing momentum on

a critical skill without ESY over the summer.

• Katherine suggests for her kids she’s found too many transitions over the summer

don’t work, so she plans camps/classes to avoid them.

7:30: Arlington Parks and Recreation Options—Cindy Leiva, Therapeutic Rec Office

• Cindy Leiva introduced herself. Five in their office. April Rosenthal Office Manager

and four programmers. One of CIndy’s roles has been to oversee inclusion for tots

and elementary. Now she’s going to work with tots and teens.

• The 2016 Summer Camp Catalog will be available in the first week of February.

• Online, mail-in, and fax registration for residents begins at 7am on February 17,

2016.

• Walk-in and phone registration for residents begins at 8am on February 24, 2016.

• All non-resident registration begins at 8am on March 2, 2016.

Specialized Camps: Designed for individuals ages 6—21 with intellectual and

developmental disabilities. They are recommended for campers who require moderate

to extensive support and benefit from a small group setting. Participants in these camps

are usually enrolled in a self-contained classroom.

Camps Include: Camp Discovery, Adventure Quest, Project FIVE, iCanBike

• Camp Discovery, Ages 6-11. Hope it will be at Barrett.

• Half day program designed for kids with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

• Activities help to increase social interactions with peers, leisure awareness, and

active participation. Arts and crafts, sensory projects, group games, music,

drama, sports, fitness, and leisure choices. Campers will attend one community

trip and one swimming trip per week in the afternoons. This camp typically serves

campers who require close supervision or assistance in personal care, providing

a staff to participant ratio of 1:2 to 1:3.

• Times: 11:30am-6pm; AM Ext. Hours 8am-11:30am for Sessions 2 & 8).

Sessions 3-7 11:30-6 core hours only.

• Parents’ responsibility to provide transportation.

• Can call Katie Salyers, Therapeutic Rec office, Programmer with questions.

• Adventure Quest, Ages 12-21. For teens and young adults with intellectual

disabilities.

• Activities include arts and crafts, sensory projects, expressive arts, sports,

fitness, and many other choices in the daily structure. Campers will attend one

community trip and one swim trip per week.

• This camp typically serves campers who require close supervision or assistance

in personal care.

• Moderate to extensive support is provided with a staff to participant ratio of 1:2 to

1:3.

• Sessions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Noon-6pm; Ext. Hours 9am-12pm [Check catalog

when it comes out to be sure sessions ad times are correct.]

• Project Five, Fun, Inclusive, Volunteer Experience Ages 12-21

• located at TJ middle school

• For teens that are more independent. Individuals with disabilities have the

opportunity to pair up with peers without a disability. Camp participants will have

the opportunity to engage in service learning and community involvement. One or

two trips per week which will include a service learning trip and a community fun

trip.

• Upped the max from 10-16, so group will be divided into two pods.

• iCan Bike

• Designed to help children with disabilities learn how to ride bikes independently.

This program uses specialized equipment and teaching methods that work to

overcome the difficulties that new riders often experience when trying to learn to

ride a bike, including balance, steering and fear of falling. The camper must be

ambulatory with sufficient stamina and physical strength to ride a bike, keep

his/her feet on the pedals, see sufficiently to avoid obstacles, follow simple

instructions, and motivated to learn to ride a bike.

• Offered week 6 at Kenmore

• Krista Singleton-Cambage has had two children participate in this and in Camp

Discovery, highly recommends.

• Contact Katie Salyers at TR Office at 703-228-4740 if interested.

• Designated Sites & Inclusion. Designated summer camp sites serve individuals

ages 3-21 with and without disabilities. These camps have a lower staff to participant

ratio and are staffed with well-trained counselors who have experience in inclusion

and adapting activities. We recommend these camps for individuals who benefit

from a more structured day and/or behavior management system in an inclusive

setting – participants in these camps might be enrolled in either a self-contained or

mainstream classroom. Camps Include: Early Childhood/Elementary/Teen

Designated Sites

• Madison Little Explorers (ages 3-5) provides a fun, social environment for

preschoolers. Each session features an exciting theme to enchant your child

through outdoor activities, water play, games, arts and crafts and special events.

• Fairlington Little Explorers (ages 3-5) provides a fun, social environment for

preschoolers. Each session features an exciting theme to enchant your child

through outdoor activities, water play, games, arts and crafts and special events.

Elementary Inclusion

• TBD Summerfest, the designated inclusion site for elementary ages (6-11).

Good for individuals who benefit from a more structured day and/or behavior

management system in an inclusive setting.

• Tot sessions starts the last week in June, 9:30-12:30 and run for 8 weeks, but

you can do it for however many weeks you want and they don’t have to be

consecutive.

• Even if a program does not have a designated site, TR will send an assistant to the

camp as needed.

• Expeditions are planned around summer school hours, or have been, but it’s not

clear if they will be offered this year.

• Arlington Mill usually offers an art camp and a teen camp.

• TR only provides support for camps that are in their catalog.

• Don’t panic if you get waitlisted for the camp. You may still get in.

• Call TR as soon as you get into a summer camp so that they know your child will

need support.

7:50 Career Center Options—Margaret Chung, Principal and Micah Stein-Verbit,

Coordinator of the Program for Employment Possibilities.

• Open to all students. Not just those with disabilities.

• In addition to courses we offer in winter and spring sessions, we offer photography,

robotics, hands on in the kitchen. Check the Arlington Career Center website for

details.

• Micah Stein-Verbit introduced himself and PEP. He took classes at the Career

Center.

• PEP is the program for employment preparedness. During the school year

and summer it offers travel training, academic and social skills. Our mission

statement is long term employment skills and success.

• PEP Internships are unpaid, may or may not lead to future employment opps, are

based on a combination of the intern;s strengths, needs and interests.

• Depending on student needs and abilities, interns may either travel with staff and

fellow students or on their own.

• Students without EST services, or students not enrolled in PEP should contact

the school prior to registering for the summer program. Brian Stapleton (703)

228-8691 brian.stapleton@apsva.us

• Eligibility: APS Students 18-22. At Arlington Career Center.

• Parent and student feedback stresses hope, direction.

• Brian Stapleton Special Ed coordinator career center (703) 228-8691

• Micah Stein-Verbit (703)-228-5801 micah.stein@apsva.us

• Last year they were at Ft. Meyer and Culpepper—helped with officer’s club,

bowling alley, food service, gardening.

8:06 Jewish Commuity Center of NOVA (Fairfax, VA)—Jessica Tischler, Special

Needs Director & Arlene Lechner, M.Ed, CTRS

• JCC a community center for everyone (don’t have to be Jewish) and we have a

special needs department.

• We work with pre-schoolers up through the elderly.

• For school age children in addition to supporting them, we support the sports

program, adapted swimming, j-dance, we provide a one on one shadow for other

programs.

• We have a social skills program for 6-8 and 8-12, Langston Hughes Community

Center, licensed social worker, cap it at 12, partner with Arlington County so it is in

the program guide.

• Other options include, Let’s Play, ages 6-8; Friends 9-12; Gal Pals Kids, Tweens,

and Teens Girls only no boys allowed.

• Classes held at the J and in Arlington.

• Classes are designed for children with high functioning autism, ADD/ADHD and

related disorders. Participants must be able to verbally and actively participate within

a group setting. Learn to explore their emotions, make friendships, improve self-

esteem, manage anxiety, work on a variety of social skills and a whole lot more.

• J Club—social club for children grades 5-7 with and without special needs. Fun,

social opportunities in a structured, supportive environment for young children.

Trained staff assist children in navigating meaningful relationships, events planned

on a monthly basis. It’s on a Saturday night September through May.

• Adapted Sports: Partner with Annandale Boys and Girls Club for TOP Soccer in

Winter Spring and Fall. Now do Indoor Basketball, ages 5-18. Offer TOP soccer,

more skill based than competitive, same with basketball. Working one on one with a

buddy. Helps kids learn the rules.

• Adaptive aquatics, 1:1 at the J on Sundays.

• Going Places for teens, young adults and adults. For individuals with high

functioning autism—bowling, mini golf, rock climbing etc. Sunday afternoons.

• Camp Kadima—social skills summer camp, for children rising 1-6, children with high

functioning autism, ADD/ADHD

• July 5-29; August 1-26. Weekly parent meetings, Friday afternoon electives, Field

trips, 1-3 grades: swim lessons; 4th-6th grade: overnight trips.

• Camp Achva—Summer Day Camp for grades k-8.

• Inclusive camp with a lot of support, accommodations.

• Run financial workshops for parents of kids with special needs.

• Lots of other programs, all the way through adulthood.

• Info at: (703) 323-0880. jccnv.org

8:20 Camp Jaycees—Kat King, Board Member from Camp VA Jaycee

• Located on the Blue Ridge Mt. of VA, Camp Jaycee provides an outdoor recreational

and educational camp for individuals on the autism spectrum and/or with a

developmental disability.

• campvajaycee.org Summer camps available June 19-August 5.

• Shirley O’Brien—Ph.D. in developmental disabilities, registered nurse 24 hours a

day, everyone lives in camp, staff from around the world, criminal background

checks, 2 weeks intensive training, over 65 percent return each summer.

• Activities include: swimming, boating, nature study, sports, music and drama,

cooking, arts and crafts.

• They’ve started a family camp as well. It fills up every summer. It’s a weekend or

weeklong. There are also respite weekends run throughout the summer and

throughout the year. You can start with baby steps and send your kid for just the

weekend.

• Age range 6-60.

• At family camps. brothers and sisters can act as counselors in training.

• Offer Inclusion programming, ages 6-18 for individuals of all abilities: Junior

Lifeguard program, cooking etc. Different emphasis depending on age.

• Cost $825 per session Sunday through Friday. $275 for weekend. Scholarships are

available.

8:30 Mclean Bible Church Accessibility Summit April 15, 16—Katherine Harris.

• Childcare offered if you sign up early enough.

• We can sign up as a SEPTA group.

• Contact Katherine Harris if interested in participating/organizing a group to attend.